Microplastics in invasive geckos (Hemidactylus mabouia and H. angulatus): first evidence in Cuba and the Caribbean, and transfer pathways of concern

Summary

Microplastics were found for the first time in the digestive tracts and feces of two invasive house gecko species in Cuba, documenting a new pathway by which plastics can enter terrestrial food webs. The geckos likely ingest microplastics while eating contaminated invertebrates, suggesting that plastic pollution is moving through land-based ecosystems in the Caribbean in ways not yet fully understood. This is the first record of microplastic contamination in reptiles in the Caribbean region.